While re-electing President Obama is obviously very good news
for progressives, so much more happened to bring progressive
change to communities across America. These victories are
further evidence of an emerging progressive majority in this
country that will help take us forward as we all fight for
change in ways large and small.

* The Middle Class: Voters supported a president who will
make the investments in the middle class that we need to
create jobs now and grow the economy over the long-term.
President Obama will redouble his efforts to create an
economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

* Equality: For the first time in history, voters embraced
marriage equality at the ballot box – and not just once.
In Maryland, Maine, and Washington state, voters approved
marriage equality referenda. In Minnesota, an effort to
ban same sex marriage was defeated. Wisconsin Rep. Tammy
Baldwin is also the first openly gay person elected to the
Senate; the person who won the House seat she vacated is
also openly gay. Nationally, voters rejected the most
anti-immigrant presidential ticket in history. In
Maryland, voters approved a state-level version of the
DREAM Act.

* New Hampshire: The state elected progressive champions
Anne Kuster and Carol Shea Porter to the House and will be
the first state to send an all-female House and Senate
delegation to Washington. Democrats also seized control of
the New Hampshire House back from the Tea Party extremists
who seized control of it in 2010.

* Maine: Democrats wrested control of both the Maine House
and Senate back from extreme right-wing Republicans who
spent the past two years pursuing attacks on voting and
unions, among other things.

* Minnesota: Democrats won back control of both the
Minnesota House and Senate. Republicans forced a
government shutdown last year because they refused to
raise taxes on the wealthy to close a budget gap, even
though Minnesota’s wealthy pay a lower tax rate than
everyone else in the state. The new majorities should be
able to work with Gov. Mark Dayton (D) to create a more
progressive budget.http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2011/03/study-finds-minnesotas-tax-system-still-regressive

* Iowa: Democrats maintained control of the Iowa State
Senate, meaning they can continue to stop attacks on
marriage equality, women’s health, and unions from the the
Republican-controlled House and Gov. Terry Branstad (R).
Iowans also rejected the latest effort by anti-gay
Christian conservatives to remove a justice from the Iowa
Supreme Court merely because he had joined the court’s
unanimous decision in favor of marriage equality. Three
other justices were successfully removed in 2010.http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121106/NEWS09/311070016/Voters-retain-Justice-David-Wiggins

* Colorado: Democrats seized control of the Colorado State
House and will install the first openly gay Speaker of the
House. The current Republican Speaker blocked
consideration of a civil unions bill even though it had
the votes to pass.

* California: Progressive change happened in a big way in
one of the nation’s most progressive states. Yesterday,
voters:

* Tea Party Extremists: Voters tossed out some of the most
extreme voices in the U.S. House, including Joe Walsh,
Allen West, and Chip Cravaack. Michele Bachmann very
narrowly avoided defeat in her heavily-Republican
district.

* Our Voting System: Voters across the country faced
almost unprecedented obstacles to casting a ballot.
Conservatives did nearly anything possible – legal and
otherwise – to keep people, particularly young people and
minorities, from voting. Early voting was curtailed,
onerous photo ID requirements were put in place, voter
registration was made more difficult, technical changes
meant to disqualify more ballots were implemented, dirty
tricks were employed, and the list goes on. The net result
was that tens of millions of Americans faced long lines
and other hurdles when attempting to exercise one of their
most basic rights. Millions more who might otherwise have
voted didn’t vote at all.

* Ending Medicare, Slashing Taxes on the Wealthy: By
selecting Rep. Paul Ryan (R) as his running mate, Mitt
Romney put the GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it in
order to slash taxes on the wealthy front and center on
the ballot. Voters rejected these plans and the GOP should
drop them once and for all.

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This entry was posted on November 8, 2012 at 9:43 am and is filed under elections.
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3 Responses to “Progressive Victories Coast to Coast”

madashellinpasaid

This way of voting has to change. Stopping or making it harder to vote has left a lot of Democrats out of office. Older people just could not take the long waits. We need a handicap and older person line. In Hanover Twp. four ( 4 ) of the six voting booths were never used the 45 minutes I was in there. People were voting faster then they could sign you in. Three people checking some kind of list one taking ID one finding your name to sign in and one explaining voting machine. This has to Stop. Voting there for 33 years never took longer then 5 or 6 minutes. Took 9 times longer this year.

Peter Deutschsaid

I’m glad I supported her monetarily during the campaign several weeks before I became aware that Progressive Democrats of America hailed her even if they did not support her in the list of candidates. Her inclusion on or in Emily’s list and her opponent’s verbally expressed views were sufficient for me in the weeks and even months preceding this support. Is she likely to be named a new PDA board member in the near future?